Animal feeders are used with many types of domesticated animals, such as poultry (chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, quail, pheasants, guineafowl and the like), livestock (such as cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, deer, alpacas and the like) and pets (such as dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and the like). Typically, a quantity of feed is placed in the animal feeding device so that the animal can access the feed when hungry.
Many animal feeding devices are “open”, in that the feed in the feeder is accessible through large openings. However, these feeders suffer from the drawback that feed is often wasted by animals not finishing the entire meal or spilling feed onto the ground. Not only is this waste of feed costly, but it also attracts birds, vermin and other pests to the area. As a result, animal owners must take care to clean up spilled feed to discourage pests.
Thus, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide an animal feeding device that reduced the wastage of animal feed.
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